CLEANING & HYGIENE WIPING OUT DISPOSABLES MEWA UK Country Manager Günes Yenen explores the value of reusable cleaning cloths.


Across industry, workers are constantly mopping up spills, leaks or dirty smudges of liquid – but at what cost? Using disposable industrial cleaning cloths or blue roll for this purpose is both economically and environmentally expensive.


What if, instead, you could ‘hire’ a textile cleaning cloth, return it for washing when it’s dirty, and pick up a clean one?


The idea of a sharing economy in which people use rather than own resources is very current in society and commerce today, but it’s not new. MEWA has been doing it for over a hundred years and our cloths are now rented by about 190,000 companies in 21 countries.


Factories and industrial workplaces have more need than most for wipes to keep their machinery, equipment and premises clean and there are many different types to choose from.


Companies choosing a green option can enhance their reputation, which helps in attracting and retaining customers and staff. More immediately, lowering waste reduces expense. In this case, time, materials and energy are saved, and costly health and safety lapses avoided.


SAFETY BENEFITS Given that slips and trips account for about a fifth


of serious injuries at work, any liquid reaching the floor needs to be removed quickly. In workplaces, where liquids like oils and solvents are used, wipes used to mop up spills must be treated as hazardous waste and stored and contained in airtight, sealable containers, as they can catch fire if exposed to oxygen. Furthermore, they can affect employee health via breathing or skin contact. With a cloth rental system, safe and compliant storage containers and washing are all part of the service.


COST AND EFFICIENCY SAVINGS It’s important to choose the right type of cloth for the


job as they differ in absorbency. A high-quality cotton wipe is able to soak up large volumes of liquid, fast. When compared to disposable paper rolls, they can save up to 35% on cleaning time.


A cloth rental system like Mewa also takes away the administrative time and cost involved in checking and reordering stock, using up valuable storage space, tying up capital, and arranging legally compliant transport and disposal of cloths that are contaminated with hazardous waste.


ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS A study by the consulting firm, ClimatePartner has


shown the enormous ecological footprint of disposable cleaning cloths compared to reusable textile cloths.


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The study looked at water and energy consumption, as well as CO2 emissions during the manufacture (and use) of both types of wipes. The results showed significant differences, up to 40 times more, in the resources used to remove 1kg of dirt.


A Mewatex reusable cloth (based on an average use of 25 times) and two types of disposable wipes were tested; a 100% cellulose paper towel and a non-woven cloth made of 70% cellulose and 30% polypropylene. One usage was defined as picking up 1kg of dirt.


“COMPANIES CHOOSING A GREEN OPTION CAN ENHANCE THEIR REPUTATION, WHICH HELPS IN ATTRACTING AND RETAINING CUSTOMERS AND STAFF.”


Among the results, it was found that the total amount of water consumed when using 100% disposable paper towels is 188,500 litres, compared to just 4,538 litres for the Mewatex reusable wipe.


The energy consumption during production was also clearly contrasting; our reusable cloth consumes nearly three times less energy than a disposable cloth with 87 kWh compared to 31 kWh for a reusable cloth.


In terms of greenhouse gas emissions generated, disposable wipes cause between 2.8 and 5 times more pollution than reusable cloths: 33.3 and 61.6kg of CO2 compared to 11.9kg of CO2.


The value of reusable cleaning cloths to a business is extensive, helping improve productivity, sustainability, as well as saving time and money.


www.mewa.co.uk www.tomorrowshs.com


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